The Florida State Seminoles lost to the Florida Gators 40-21 on Saturday night, ending their 2025 season in disappointing fashion. They fell to 5-7 with the loss and failed to qualify for a bowl game, the fourth time they have done so under Mike Norvell.

The Seminoles never led against Florida, who moved the ball at will against them and got stops when it mattered most. Jadan Baugh was unstoppable, rushing for 266 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. Florida interim head coach Billy Gonzales admitted after the game that they needed to run the ball to win.

“In order for us to win, we had to run the ball, and we had to put the ball behind the offensive line,” he said. “We had some seniors up there. They were both captains in this game today. But give them the opportunity to grind at it a little bit and, again, put the ball in one of our best players. Not the best player on the team, but one of the best players in the country in my opinion.”

Gonzales also talked about the defense, his message to the players, and more. Here are his comments after Florida beat FSU.

Opening Statement

I appreciate y’all coming back out again today. Just want to start off, what an unbelievable day for these seniors. They’re a special group. They did an unbelievable job. They continue to keep this team together.

They continue to fight. They continue to push each other. The leadership that they provided from within, nobody really understands that, but being in their shoes, getting a chance to see Sapp out there sitting on the 50-yard line and just hanging out there, it’s really special.

I’m super, super proud of this team. Obviously, it didn’t start the way we wanted to in the first couple games, but I’ll tell you what, the way we finished today, it was the first time, in my opinion, we played a complete game offensive, defensive, special team-wise. I can’t be more proud of these guys.

I’m super proud of the staff, the support staff. What a way to fight, taking a look at Jadan Baugh, second in the history, with 266 yards rushing today, was a workhorse. Offensive line did an incredible job, giving him the opportunity to make those holes and continue to run.

And then the defensive unit, they played lights out. They were unbelievable today. The big boys up front did an unbelievable job setting the point up front, getting some pressure.

And then there was at one point, I looked out there and we had four true freshmen sitting in the back end. So it takes everybody on a football team to be successful. And finally, we had the last game of the season.

I’m super proud of these guys. I can’t tell you that enough. I love them.

Given all the struggles, how much did you guys just need to end that way? 

It’s extremely important. It’s extremely important to end this way for the players that have invested into this program. So the seniors, it’s extremely important.

Obviously, you want to walk out of here and have a good taste in your mouth from your very last game on a senior day. But I just told them, it starts from this moment on. It’s going to continue to build for them, for whoever comes in for this program and leads this program.

It’s a stepping stone for them to understand that everything has to start at some point or another. So from this point on, they’ve got to continue to build on it. And this team stayed together.

I just talked to the team about staying together long-term, being focused together, and being able to be able to achieve and continue to grow together. 

On Jadan Baugh’s performence

Just think about that. He had 266 yards. I know I told the media this earlier when I spoke with you guys. I told you guys that if you were to ask me, is it important? I said, yeah, but the victory is more important.

But let’s call it what it is. I told the staff, he’s getting 1,000 yards regardless, somehow, someway. Two years ago we sat in here, and Ricky was, I think, 35 yards short of 1,000 yards at receiving.

I know it eats at him. It eats at me every day to know that it just didn’t bounce the right way at that particular time. Looking back on it, being able to force-feed to try to get him those yards.

Tonight we were going to get Baugh 1,000 yards. He surpassed it. He did an incredible job, incredible job.

I love him. I’ve told you guys before I love him as a person. I love him as an athlete. I love him as a man. He’s just an exceptional football player. 

On if they felt early that they could run the ball

No, we talked about being able to feed him in the offense, and I think Coach O’Hara called a great game today. No, we talked about featuring him. In order for us to win, we had to run the ball, and we had to put the ball behind the offensive line.

We had some seniors up there. They were both captains in this game today. But give them the opportunity to grind at it a little bit and, again, put the ball in one of our best players.

Not the best player on the team, but one of the best players in the country in my opinion, all-purpose yards, rushing yards. He’s elite. So it was fantastic to see the performance that he had today.

On how DJ Lagway played

He did fantastic. Yeah, obviously, you know, there was the one decision that he made. He looked at it on film. In the corner, they were playing five deep.

He could have tossed it, but he wanted to take the RPO shot. And the deep, he did a good job. He broke and did a good job. He’s a football player as well and made a great play. But at the end of the day, I thought he played really, really good. I thought he managed it.

I thought he did a fantastic job. The yards, obviously, 168, but three TDs. Did a really good job.

And he did a good job putting us in the right run plays. I don’t know if you noticed, but there was a lot of checked plays out there based off of the defensive front and the rotation that they were giving us in the back end, whether it was a two-high structure or one-high structure. So he did a phenomenal job about putting us in the right play.

His message to the defense after last week

Yeah, you know, these players are competitors, and everybody wants to compete, and everybody wants to try to make a play. And it was about just making sure we said all along, listen, just do your job. If you do your job, that’s the issue.

When you try to do a little bit more and you try to make up something for somebody else, that’s when something happens. Super impressed, like I said. I think the defensive unit played lights out today.

You know, and I told Caleb earlier how impressed I am and what it meant to me as a coach. He’s not my position. He plays defense.

He’s a defensive line. But just how impressed I was that he fought back so much to come back off of a foot injury, to come back and play with his brothers for two last games and what it meant to him to finish that way. So, you know, obviously him and Sapp out there leading it.

And then, like I said, just you had a young crew line from linebackers to the back end. What a great performance by those guys. They played outstanding all the way around.

And again, for me, it was kind of a complete performance. Everybody played great offensive, defensive, and special teams. And, you know, I think when you do that, you can kind of see what the University of Florida football players, what their football team are capable of.

Now it’ll be up to somebody else to make sure that they continue that process. But the seed’s been set and they can continue to grow. Those roots are in the ground. And I look forward to watching them play in the future as well. 

His message to the players about staying or going

 Obviously, there’s a lot of talent in that locker room, but I would think the next coach would want to keep. Well, I think that’s not really a question for me.

I’d love for every individual here to stay at the University of Florida. I’ve said this before. The University of Florida is special. To me, it’s special. It holds a place close to my heart because I spent a lot of time here. It’s home.

But, no, each and every one of these individuals, hopefully, again, we talked about. I read a booklet to them that I had written down just in there a minute ago. But it just talked about brotherhood.

It talked about making sure that, again, like I said, build on the right foundation, build brick by brick, step by step, and then you build together. And I think that’s the big piece I’m trying to leave them with, build it together. And if you build it together, you’ll be successful.

What it means for him to win a game in this rivalry 

It means everything for the players for me. I’ve told you guys this before. I’ve gotten in this profession 30-plus years ago for the players.

I had a couple of really good position coaches, Skip Holtz, Jr., and Coach Meyer that invested in me. I had head coaches that invested in me, Coach Lubick and Coach Bruce. So, to me, it’s always been about investing back into the players, and it will always be that.

So, it means everything in the world that we won. Yes, is it for me? Absolutely. But, no, to me it’s more important that the players have a chance to get a victory because they’re the ones that put so much time and effort into this place and blood and sweat and tears on the football field.

And then, like I said, the brotherhood. It’s something that you can never understand until you leave the locker room what it means to be in a locker room with your friends and your brothers, that you may not ever get that opportunity again. So, this team’s done with.

These players will hopefully grow on and continue to grow, and they’ll stay in contact, and some of them will be in each other’s weddings later on down the road. But that’s what you look for, too. You look for these guys to continue to build that bond together.

His takeaways from being interim

Sure. Well, I think that’s probably something we could probably talk about another time. But as far as what a great opportunity. I mean, what a learning experience for me. Great opportunity. But, again, I’ll always go back to it’s been about the players for me.

If I can help them, my job was to try to keep this team together, continue to motivate them, continue to play hard. And I think the effort that you saw those guys today, not to quit, not to fold, I think they did an unbelievable job of showing that support out there for one another.

On if he wants to stay at Florida

Listen, I’m going to enjoy this win tonight. I’m going home at 8.30. I might turn the hot tub on here real quick before I leave the facility to get in the hot tub tonight and relax a little bit. No.

It’s, again, I can tell you, again, I’ve spent the majority of my career here. So, special place. The University of Florida is special, like I’ve said before.

You play for the patch and you honor the name on your back for the players. So, it is a special place. And I look forward to, again, the success of the program, regardless whether I’m here or not.

I want these players to experience the success that I’ve had here at the University of Florida because it’s special. Good. All right.

Closing Statement

That’s kind of just my opportunity here. I said with this being my last opportunity to speak with you, I’d like to take a moment to thank Mr. Scott Strickland for the opportunity to lead this program the last six weeks. I know we didn’t get the results we wanted, obviously, the way we wanted to win, the way we wanted to win, the way I wanted to win.

But I appreciate the trust that he had in me to do the job and to lead the team with a victory. Finishing it makes it even a little bit more special. I’d like to thank the players for sticking together and staying the course over the last few weeks.

And, again, I’ve told you guys this before. To me, it’s always been about the players. It will always be about the players.

That’s why we’re called coaches. It’s about mentoring and being able to help them grow as individuals and help them to grow as men. I’d like to thank you all, the media, for your professionalism and generosity with me during my time leading the program.

You guys have been unbelievable to me, so I want to thank you. I think just you asked a question about the learning part. To me, as a coach, I will always embrace the media.

I will always embrace the fans. And I think that’s the special piece about being able to have an opportunity to be a coach, to have that opportunity. So I want to thank you guys a ton.

And then, finally, like I said, I’d like to thank the fans that supported this team despite the results this season. I’ve told you guys before, I believe they’re the best fans in the country. They deserve a championship, and they’re going to have a championship.

They will have a championship-caliber team here in the future as well. So thank you guys all again. I appreciate you guys. Go Gators.

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